In recent years, electric double layer capacitors and other electrochemical capacitors are receiving attention as batteries that are small and lightweight, and in which relatively large capacities can be obtained. An electric double layer capacitor does not use a chemical reaction as does an ordinary secondary battery, and features the capability of very rapid charging and discharging because it is a type of battery that directly stores electric charge on the electrodes.
By making use of such features, there are high expectation for the use of such batteries as a backup power supply for mobile equipment (small electronic equipment) and the like, an auxiliary power supply for electric automobiles and hybrid cars, and as other forms of power supplies, for example, and various forms of research are being carried out in order to improve the performance of such batteries.
An electric double layer capacitor has a basic structure in which electrolytic solution is filled by way of a separator between a pair of collectors in which a polarizable electrode layer is formed. The simplest known method for forming a polarizable electrode layer on a collector is a method of laminating these components together, but this method has a problem in that it is difficult to make the polarizable electrode layer sufficiently thin, and adequate adhesion between the collector and polarizable electrode layer cannot be obtained.
To solve the problems, the collector and polarizable electrode layer are not laminated together, but a coating solution for the polarizable electrode layer is applied to the collector, and the polarizable electrode layer is preferably formed on the collector by drying the fluid. See Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Nos. H8-253305, H11-97306, and H11-345747.
When a polarizable electrode layer is formed by coating, cracks occur in the polarizable electrode layer depending on the solvent that is used. Also, even if the solvent to be used is suitably selected, thickness becomes more nonuniform and, other problems occur that worsen the characteristics of the electrochemical capacitor, depending on the viscosity of the coating solution for the polarizable electrode layer.